It's....a grocery store!

As of this evening, I’ve been in Belgium for 1 full week. It is QUITE different from South Asia. On Saturday, I decided to wander the suburb in search of a coffee shop to do some people-watching. In my hour of walking I discovered many things. But no coffee shop. Belgium apparently is likes pubs --much more than coffee-shops. (They are very proud of their beer.) A few pubs were open at 4 pm, but the dark, tobacco-scented interior didn’t particularly appeal to me. I wonder what people who don’t enjoy beer here do for a social life?? Contrary to the Saffron Land where EVERYONE invites you to their home for chai immediately after meeting you, in Belgium, it take 8 years of acquaintance before a native Belgian will invite you to their home (so I’m told).

One discovery I particularly enjoyed in my afternoon exploration were the grocery stores! This quiet neighborhood has TWO of them. They weren’t nearly as big as the ones in the US, but they were clean, neat, well-organized, and the commodities were clearly-labeled with electronic price-tags. A patron could park their car right outside and carry their neatly-bagged purchases back to their car and then drive back to their house. Amazing!

Seeing the clean, orderly grocery store and how simple the shopping experience was made me realize with fresh appreciation why I’m so worn out from 2 months of adjusting to life on the field. Such a basic and vital necessity as food shopping in the Saffron Land requires an hour one-way drive on multiple forms of public transportation to get the city. Once there, there’s no real grocery store that’s easily accessible. Only various bazaars, markets and produce stands of various sizes and qualities. Getting to them requires other various forms of public transportation. Kathy and I have learned how to acquire basic food staples and toiletries, but every now and then locating some random item (like tape or pencils WITH erasers) presents a new adventure. And acquiring any bigger item, like a mattress, printer, or washing machine, is often a day project in which quite a few cultural lessons are learned. Purchasing furniture is one task that Kathy and I hadn’t undertaken yet but I’m planning on tackling when I return.

Despite the complicated commerce and transportation, I do miss the Saffron Land. –a confirmation of my calling there for which I’m thankful. But I’m also very thankful for the brief reprieve to contemplate the culture, its needs, and my place in it. As always, His timing is impeccable!